Tonights Referendum Meeting- WOW!

I just got back from a referendum filled day. 

Today at West High's regular weekly student council meeting, we had a reporter (Andy Hall) from the State Journal interviewing students about the referendum. This was a great opportunity for me to inform the student council about the referendum, as well as get a chance for (hopefully) a bit of media coverage from the students perspective.

I'm working to spread awareness among students- I think student's voices are the most persuasive and valuable resource to gain support for the referendum vote... Besides- we should all be passionate about this issue- we're the ones who have seen and will see the consequences of budget cuts. (Writing lab and Theater 3 from West, Italian from Lafollette, etc. etc.) 

I also attended a referendum forum meeting at Jefferson Middle School,  where Superintendent Dan Nerad, Assistant Superintendent Erik Kass, fellow board members and I listened and responded to community members' questions and concerns about the referendum. It was discouraging to hear very negative criticism towards the efforts of the board, but also encouraging to hear support from the referendum, and the universal view that the Superintendent and the Board's communication and willingness to answer questions has been phenomenal throughout the process.

Unfortunately we, the students, cannot vote on November 4. But this isn't to say we don't have a role in the referendum movement. In fact, I think the potential role of motivated, passionate students is the most important and perhaps the most influential for community members. We need to have conversations with anyone and everyone about the referendum, encouraging them to look up the facts and attend community meetings to help them make an informative vote. We need to help out in distributing flyers (THIS SATURDAY! SEE BELOW). We need to speak to the media, provide the student aspect.

The referendum doesn't come down to dollars and numbers. It comes down to our future. By supporting the referendum, we're supporting the education of our children and investing in Madison and the world as a whole. 

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD PUT UP A YARD SIGN. PLEASE COME HELP DISTRIBUTE LEAFLETS ON SATURDAY. PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH SUPPORT. THANKS GUYS!